Also, Google Alerts, Google’s free content monitoring service, now has the option to incorporate real time results in alerts; this includes results from sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Google Buzz.

With geographically targeted real time results, it’s possible to select results for “nearby” or even type in your customised location.  I’ve tried browsing results by cities and counties in the UK, both are accurate.  They appear to rely on where a user has tagged their location as being, and doesn’t rely on GPS or IP technology to pinpoint accurate geographical location.

Another exciting feature is the ability to easily look back in history at a twitter conversation.  Simply click on the “full conversation” link to view the entire dialogue.

“Updates” is also able to look back in history, with a user friendly time line bar.  This means it’s possible to research the history of an event as it unfolds and perhaps get a better sense who the main influencers on a given topic.

Google isn’t the first social media search engine, we’ve seen niche engines like Technorati for blogs and Ice Rocket for general buzz.  But these engines are niche, they’re for techy insiders.  By Google placing real time results as a high priority they are unlocking social media’s potential to the masses.

Of course, this all plays into universal search equation as well, in which search engine results pages (SERPs) incorporate different verticals like images and real time results into front page results.  These developments introduce millions of Google users to social media, blog post, and news results they would otherwise be unaware of.

One issue worth noting is the inconsistency of Google’s branding of this product.  While they call it “real time search,” the column on the right hand side of results are referred to as “updates.”  Perhaps “updates” is more self explanatory than “real time” to the general Google user, but it’s a blatant inconsistency in branding that needs to be aligned at some point in the future.

Even in the updates column on the right hand side, you can see Google is still experimenting with what priority to give the “updates” vertical.

Ultimately, Google is upping its game in the social media monitory sphere.  Products like MBuzz and Radian 6, and niche engines like Social Mention and Whos Talkin should definitely be worried about the Google introducing their user friendly real time results to the masses.

Big changes for Google real-time search results is a post from: Tamar

The  internet usage stats for each of the periods was estimated using data from the World Bank and naturalised the graph by overall volume of users for each period.

There were only 2,000,000 internet users in the USA in 1990, compared to the (conservative) estimated 250,000,000 US users in 2010. The extended graph paints a far more accurate picture of how the world changed its data consumption on the internet.

Web is certainly not dead, it may well be hitting a plateau, especially in the US where users are fairly saturated, but the rest of the world is showing a slight growth in users if the US share percentages are used globally.

Dead or alive? is a post from: Tamar

This “wrap-up” graphic describes the natural integrity of online campaigns that have Search, Social Media and Conversion at the core. Each works well by itself, of course, but together they provide an unrivalled strategic approach to the delivery of a company’s goals.

Many of the thoughts and descriptors you see in this graphic have come from our Associate Director: Social Media, Henry Elliss, who guided the thought process with his trademark good humour – and also did his day job.

Thanks for all your feedback on the series so far and keep those ideas coming! Please do share the links if you think they’re useful.

→ Download the Tamar Search, Social and Conversion Infographic ( right-click and select ’save as’ )

Part 4 of 4 – Tamar Infographic series: Natural integrity is a post from: Tamar

So as you type your search query into Google and the auto suggest fills out suggested search phrases so Google actually changes live the results shown. Pretty cool. But also pretty distracting.

There is a suggestion that this could be heavy on bandwidth but I think more of an issue would be over how quickly the results change depending on how quickly you type. Would they be able to keep up or would your typing, auto suggest and live changing results (and sponsored results) all lead to a somewhat confused set of results?

Also, do we need to now optimise for multiple variations of word as they are constructed? So for cheap flights think about the following options: c ch che chea cheap cheap f cheap fl cheap fli cheap flig cheap fligh cheap flight cheap flights?

Whether this is rolled out as a permanent option even for power searchers remains to be seen but an interesting development for Google and one we will be watching.

Google Streaming is a post from: Tamar

The result of that conviction is a sale, a call to action, a reinforcement of brand quality, a desire to engage and even to evangelise.

Our Tamar’s third Infographic focuses on this complex conversion process from the point at which people make significant contact with a brand online – the website.

We could point to a hundred million websites that fail, with each click, to draw in, engage and convert those who arrive there. All we know is that every single one of our client sites has seen more traffic and more measurable conversions since they started work with us.

We’d love to know what you think and please do share all the Tamar Infographics if you think they’re useful. We’ll be posting the final Infographic in the series over the next few days so do check back and share your ideas.

→ Download the Tamar Conversion Infographic ( right-click and select ’save as’ )

Part 3 of 4 -Tamar Infographic series: driving Conversion is a post from: Tamar

Disclaimer: I’ve borrowed the title of this blog from Tanya Goodin, our CEO. We were talking about Facebook Places this morning and she posed the (very Lord of the Rings inspired) question to me, did I think that Facebook Places would be the one location service to rule them all?

My answer to her was I hope not, but it’s very likely.

I’ve blogged previously that I’m against Facebook being at the centre of my social media existence. I’m not comfortable interacting with everyone I know on one platform. To be frank, I like to keep my relationships compartmentalized and am very particular about who I interact with and where in the online social space. So, no surprise, my reaction to the Facebook Places announcement was less than enthusiastic. I’ve been active on both Foursquare and Gowalla since the early part of the year and have quite enjoyed it! I feel a bit of resentment at Facebook because inevitably, the experience is going to change.

However, as fun as Foursquare and Gowalla are the only way they were going to survive in the long run is through brand/corporate sponsorships. Even combined, active users of Foursquare and Gowalla (a few million at best?) are no where near the number of people on Facebook (500 MILLION!). Reach is important to brand marketers, right, so I assume they’d choose Facebook over any of the others for partnerships.

I also think Foursquare and Gowalla will have a hard time growing their base now that Facebook is in the game. If you aren’t an early adopter, media type you’ll probably go with the name you know to try out the real time – location check-in thing. Advantage, obviously Facebook.

In the Lord of the Rings, one ring to rule them all was a bad thing.

So on the web, how can one (fill in the blank) service to rule them all be any good?

One location service to rule them all is a post from: Tamar

We’ve come to understand that “natural or organic” search is seen by too many companies as a complex, ill-defined, and immeasurable adjunct to “proper” online marketing. It has even been seen as a “black art”. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Our Search Infographic lays out the process. This is the way we deliver results for clients. It’s an open and transparent way to design, deliver and measure an online campaign.

We’d love to know what you think and please do share all the Tamar Infographics if you think they’re useful. We’ll be posting the next two Infographics in the series over the next few days so do check back and share your ideas.

→ Download the Tamar Search Infographic ( right-click and select ’save as’ )

Part 2 of 4 – Tamar Infographic series: with Social comes Search is a post from: Tamar

The rise of the Infographic feeds my view that we all benefit from better ways of capturing and visualising information, which also can enrich real-time analysis. A good Infographic can condense 40, 50, 60 pages of textual explanation in a way that’s both graspable and shareable.

The Tamar Infographics have been developed by our Creative Director, Sarah Graveling, who has worked with the whole Tamar team to pinpoint visually how we work in Social Media, Search and Conversion – and how all this meshes to make a winning campaign.

Sarah’s view of what makes a good Infographic is expressed in this series – making complex, sometimes boring and always lengthy information graspable, understandable, reusable.

As Sarah said in her recent Tamar blog post an Infographic is: “Ideally something you would happily put on the wall of your office.”

We’re kicking off the series with the Social Media Infographic. The Infographic depicts the way we work with clients to learn, engage and add value to social media. Through this strategic process, which is one part of an integrated online marketing campaign, clients gain a deeper understanding of their customers, a fresh way of connecting to them and a path to long-term trust in the brand.

If I was to say more, it would spoil the fun and defeat the purpose of this beautiful graphic. But we’d love to know what you think and please do share all the Tamar Infographics if you think they’re useful. We’ll be posting the series over the next few days so do check back and share your ideas.

→ Download the Tamar Social Media Infographic ( right-click and select ’save as’ )

Part 1 of 4 – Tamar Infographic series: captivate, communicate, convert is a post from: Tamar

Tamar’s vision has always been focused beyond the simple rankings metric but the debate around the value of top positions on the search engines has been refreshed this year and I’ve been following with increased interest.

Our conversion-driven, integrated strategies are informed by the view that being top of the page rankings is only one part of the complete online marketing arsenal.

So what are the most useful measurements in SEO? There are contrasting views on which SEO metrics are relevant and informative. There is a school of thought that believes it is time to effectively discard the top rankings tactic – as a way of re-educating clients stuck on a singular metric.

It’s true that SEO still seen by many businesses, understandably, as “getting to the top of rankings”. After all, the customer journey nearly always starts with Google, Bing or other search engines and so high visibility is seen as essential.

I don’t believe that we have to dump the “rankings” metric – but it is the methodology informing this high visibility that makes the online marketing difference. There is clear value in being top of the search returns and definitely an advantage in being “above the page fold” – but that value is measured in more than simple search engine positioning.

There is practically no value in being top of the rankings month on month if those links drive high volumes of people to things they do not want.

The metric is not how much traffic, but its quality, measured by conversion – through sales, increased inquiries, greater activity around call-to-action, deeper customer engagement. High-volume, low conversion traffic is a wasted opportunity.

These metrics provide data that can show in detail what the ROI of an integrated SEO campaign is and they also step over the “vanity trap” of simply being top of the page.

For example, we’ve delivered increased uptake of calls to action and 40 per cent greater sustained conversion with higher quality of engagement on one client’s website through an integrated strategy that involves among other things, site redesign, optimisation, increasing back links and an innovative social media push.

This need for integration is particularly important now and is driven by the fact that search engine innovations are focusing on delivering personalised returns and real-time search results, and this reshapes the SEO terrain. The Google Caffeine overhaul also has meant that, at least in the short-term, SERPS are going through a period of change.

Personalised search, where Google and the others monitor a user’s search behaviour over time and deliver returns that more closely match this behaviour, offers challenges but not as big as many suggest. An integrated, conversion-driven SEO campaign will still deliver on the marketing goals.

People now are also finding the information they need not only from the leading search engines but also through YouTube search, Stumbleupon, Twitter, Facebook and the growing number of platform-specific mini-engines.

How do we measure SEO in 2010? Naturally, a week-by-week analysis of keywords, levels of traffic driven and “the detailed conversion effect”; but more, quality of traffic from social media touchpoints, sentiment, reputation score, consumer feedback volume and quality.

Driving highest quality traffic will lead to whatever marketing goals have been set and engage, convince, convert. The goal is not simply to be top, but to be top for a reason, which is to drive business growth, revenues and customer trust.

Top search rankings are just a part of successful SEO campaigns is a post from: Tamar

Nothing frustrates me more (in blog-commenting terms…!) than having to register for a website before I can write a comment. Everybody knows this is just a glorified way of gathering my vital statistics so you can market to me, so either make that an optional extra or don’t be too surprised when people don’t take the time to have a conversation with you.

As I work ‘in’ social media, I spend a lot of my time explaining to brands how openess and conversation are the key to getting consumers to converse more with you. So it’s very frustrating when sites that should know better don’t practise what they preach. I won’t name names, but I’m sure you could all think of a few examples.

If you want to give visitors an alternative but don’t know where to start, there are many good places to start your journey of discovery. Some of my top-tips would be:

• Disqus – a comment-and-moderation system used by thousands of blogs. Users can sign-up for a single profile which works across many different platforms, with the option to automatically tweet and update facebook (amongst others) when they comment on blogs.
• Google Profile – many blogs, particularly the Google-owner ‘Blogger’ platform, allow you to post comments using your Google account. I’d recommend allowing this if you can, and also setting up a profile of your own. Unless you’re paranoid about Google universal, of course!
• Gravatar – one of my personal favourites, Gravatar allows you to supply a universal profile photo, which gets used (along with the profile details you choose to share) on any blog with the gravatar plugin. Wordpress makes gravatar functionality very easy to add, as do many other common platforms.
• OpedID – this system claims to remove the need for your to remember multiple logins across multiple websites, instead allowing users to own and track comments they make across a variety of platforms. It’s worth a look…

With so many great (and free!) systems out there, I can’t see any reason why bloggers and website owners shouldn’t try to make it easier for people to interact with them…

And of COURSE, I’d more than welcome your comments on this post…!

Dear bloggers – if you want interaction, make it easy… is a post from: Tamar